What threatened to be yet another eighties-reproduction piece of analogue-'style' synth-pop rapidly mutates into something altogether murkier and more exciting. In fact, in the past couple of weeks it seems that there's a new crop of bands who, moving on from the whole 80s revival thing, are spearheading a return to the early 90s. Yes, Garbage may have gone a bit crap around the time of the second album, but 'Giddy Up' takes its lead from the debut, and also introduces some reverby grating guitars at the back of the mix and some squeaky, breathy, echo-laden vocals that must surely owe something to Alison Shaw's contributions on early Cranes releases. Like Alison Shaw's vocals, this sends shivers down my spine. Dark and mildly psychotic, it's a compelling slice of goth-tinged edginess.
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Flipside 'Blackout' is, by contrast, rather ordinary, and is insanely long given its lack of substance or variety, although it's redeemed by a very low-slung bass that counters the harmonic vocals nicely.
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